A Somerset County couple has pleaded guilty to theft of electric utility wires in Accomack County.

Darek Snyder Sr. and his wife, Amanda Grover-Snyder, of Westover entered their guilty pleas in Accomack County court separately, admitting they were stealing the copper wires to support their heroin addiction.

At his trial in Accomack court Dec. 20, Darek Snyder admitted that he climbed A & N Electric Cooperative electric poles between July and October this year to steal neutral distribution wires.

The pair was caught after the Accomack County Sheriff’s Office established a task force specifically to look for the wire thieves, the court heard.

Oct. 4 at 3:30 a.m., a deputy saw a truck with Maryland tags traveling west on Drummondtown Road in Accomac. He checked the tag and found the truck was registered to a cable company, the court was told.

The deputy followed and pulled the truck over when it made an incomplete stop at a stop sign. He noticed an orange traffic sign and a spool of copper wire in the bed of the pickup.

When Snyder exited the truck, the deputy saw he was wearing lineman’s boots and leg irons used to climb power poles, the court heard.

Both Snyder and his wife were arrested and made full confessions, according to testimony in court. They admitted they were addicted to heroin and were selling the wire to make money to support their habits.